Former GP doctors DNA into dazzling jewellery display
Published On Wed 22 May 2019 by Dominic Glasgow
A former doctor will provide a different type of diagnosis for the human race this week as her jewellery, which depicts thousands of years of human genetic code, is showcased at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and Architecture Degree Show.
Motivated by her own personal illness which forced her to retire after more than 30 years of practising medicine, Dr Allison Meighan turned her attention to surgically digitalising thousands of mitochondrial DNA components and using modern 3D printing techniques to fuse them into jewellery.
The former GP, now Jewellery and Metal Design student, said it was her life-long fascination with people and their ancestry that led her to investigate humanity’s shared medical history. She said, “I was really inspired by the ancient Nabataeans of Petra, who were a stunning race of people that created incredible architecture, discovered waterproof concrete and navigated an inhospitable desert.
“Despite all of their ingenuity they decided to depict their own Goddess Al-Uzza in a simple stylised form and my work reflects this deliberate method.
“By choosing to sequence mitochondrial DNA, which allows us to trace our ancestry all the way back to our oldest common ancestor, I was able to access DNA that was 10,000 years old and compare it to modern DNA. I then digitalised it and produced a series of pieces including a brooch which contains my own DNA as well as an intricate necklace, which is a visual representation of our DNA portrait now compared to our ancestors. This neck piece is the link back to Mitochondrial Eve, the person from whom we all descended.
“I think it’s particularly important in this day and age to know where you come from, especially when there are those who are keen to point out how different we are. In comparing our 16,700 strand-long DNA code with our ancestors, you quickly see that there are only 37 points of difference, meaning we are 99.98% the same as we were 10,000 years ago. Humans are more alike than we are different.”
Allison, who will graduate with first class honours this summer, picked up jewellery design as a bed-bound hobby after she was forced to retire early due to a pituitary tumour which left her with chronic vestibular migraine and fatigue. She said that studying at Dundee was just the creative cure she needed.
“I came to see the degree show in 2001 and I knew there and then that I would someday end up here. I never considered myself particularly ’arty’ but I fell in love with jewellery making while I was seriously ill. As I got better, I began to reach a point where I wanted to take my jewellery further. I came along to an Open Day thinking I’d arrange some private tuition but I soon realised that I wanted to finish a degree here.
“I’ve felt very at home in these buildings, surrounded by this wonderful creative buzz, it makes me feel so much younger. What could have been an immense loss of identity has become an incredible opportunity to gain an invaluable life skill. The support from my family and friends and the staff here has been excellent.”
The 60-year-old mature student from Broughty Ferry hopes to continue working on collaborative projects in the future, especially where computer design and 3D printing are involved.
“I always thought of myself as a traditionalist, but as soon as I got here I got right into the swing of the digital process. My neck piece is actually at 1/600th of the real size, I’d love to see it being made into a 16,000 link-long necklace – that would be a true historical statement piece.”
Allison’s work has already picked up two awards including the Anne Clare Graham Award for Excellence in Design and Craftsmanship and another prestigious award from the Association for Contemporary Jewellery. Her work joins more than 300 other students’ final-year work currently on display at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and Architecture Degree Show.
Last year’s Degree Show attracted a record attendance of 16,000, generating in excess of £1.5 million for the local economy. This year’s event which opened to the public last weekend will run until Saturday 26 May.
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Dominic Glasgow
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University of Dundee
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Email: d.w.glasgow@dundee.ac.uk